Sunday, August 24, 2008

Poor indeed is the garden in which birds find no homes.Abram L. UrbanWhite stork at Borris, West Jutland

The last white stork left on September 11th 2003, and now in 2008 the white stork is considered extinct in Denmark.

The breeding white stork pairs in DK have not had young birds on their wings since 2000. 150 years ago there were 10.000 breeding stork pairs in Denmark. The reason for the decline are several factors in the development of the Danish agriculture which with intensive operations has removed the food subjects of the white stork in a degree, which makes this great bird avoid breeding in Denmark.

DOF (Dansk Ornitologisk Forening) has with a support from Aage Jensen's Fonds made several information activities and collected money for some water holes for the white stork. An establishment of about 23 amphibian water holes have now taken place. Is it too late?

Some white storks visit Denmark during the year like this lonely stork who was on its way to the Skern Aa Delta, where it has been seen for some time now.photo at Borris, West Jutland, August 2008: grethe bachmann

Isn't it a beautiful little creature this butterfly - the English name Queen of Spain gives it a perfect image. This fritillary might give the inspiration for a gold jewel with blue sapphires from Cartier or for a luxurious evening gown by John Galliano.

..similar to Højstrup Viking Burial Site further west of Limfjorden but much bigger

All those viking burials were sanded up for 900 years until they were discovered and excavated in the 1950s.

photo: sb Here's a visible stone ship. Who was this Viking? One ofthe Viking chiefs maybe.

Lindholm Høje with 700 graves from the Viking Period is a fascinating place. The graves were sanded up and have been untouched for more than 900 years. The burial site at Lindholm corresponds to the Højstrup Viking Burial Site further west of Limfjorden near Tømmerby church and Aggersborg, also wellknown places with Viking traditions.
At Lindholm are single graves, systematic arrangements and stone ships. The archeological finds are exhibited in a museum close by which was established by Aalborg Historiske Museum. Here is also a museum shop and a café.

Lindholm Høje is placed on a high plateau north of the modern city Nørre Sundby and Aalborg with a fine view to Limfjorden. The place was discovered and excavated in the 1950s. At the same time the archaeologists found a furrowed field under the sand which showed that the viking farmer had left it in a haste under a sand storm. After the storm the field was obviously given up. It is an extremely rare thing to find a field with 900 years untouched visible furrows. Even the farmer's footprints were there.

The orchid with the delicate pink flowers is one of our most rare orchids. The name is Red Helleborine/Rød skovlilje - and it grows in the same habitat in Rold Skov as the big orchid Lady's slipper Orchid/Fruesko. Lady's Slipper grows in a big enclosure in the forest, and at this time of the year it has ceased to flower.